The Buzz: Peanut-free dining a challenge for parents

Neenah mom Lisa Beaudreau and her family encountered two men who had a few too many drinks at a Timber Rattlers baseball game last year.

But what shook her far more than their state of inebriation, and caused her entire family sitting to get up and leave, was the fact that they were throwing peanut shells that landed in her children’s laps.

Her two kids have severe peanut allergies.

“We had a horrible experience,” she said. “It was beyond scary. My daughter is also contact reactive, so it was quite frightening for her.”

Beaudreau emailed me after I invited parents of children with peanut allergies to recommend restaurants and businesses that can handle their needs.

She said she was delighted to find out that the Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute sponsors a Peanut Free Night every summer. This year it falls on Friday, June 27.

“This will be our sixth annual Peanut Free Night,” said Chris Mehring, director of media relations at the stadium. “The Timber Rattlers cleaning crew will begin to pressure wash the concourse, seats and seating bowl early in the week and repeat the process a couple of times to get rid of as much peanut residue and peanut shells as possible. Both teams — the Timber Rattlers and the Burlington Bees — will be asked not to have peanut butter in their clubhouse for their pregame peanut butter sandwiches. We also make sure that security is checking bags extra close so that fans do not bring peanuts into the stadium.”

It goes without saying that shelled peanuts will not be on sale in concession stands.

For those who think allergies are a trivial matter, consider that children have various reactions from mild to lethal. In a story aired by KCRA in Sacramento last September, a 13-year-old girl died after eating just one bite of a dessert that contained peanut butter.

At Beaudreau’s children’s vacation bible school program here in the Fox Cities, “I counted 12 out of 92 kids with food allergies of varying kinds, so they are out there.”

More parents wrote in to recommend restaurants and helpful websites.

“Red Robin is great,” said Kara Gassmann Schneider. “They have an iPad that you can use to see what foods are allergy friendly for your child.”

Craig Meyer, whose son has a peanut allergy, wrote in to say they’ve had good experiences at Appleton’s Dairy Queens and Cold Stone Creamery because both have separate peanut-free prep areas.

“Locally-owned restaurants seem to be able to provide the most flexibility because their food isn’t as often premade. Marks East Side is one that comes to mind,” he said.

He cautioned that it’s still important to be careful ordering at any restaurant or ice cream shop, and always have an EpiPen ready.

“We’ve found in general that McDonald’s, Red Robin, and Chili’s are very accommodating with food allergies and mark their foods well,” she said. “We have found it helpful to call in advance and to talk to the cook and kitchen manager ahead of time. When ordering your meal, explain to your server that your child has a severe allergy and it’s imperative you speak to the manager to review that your child’s plate will not come in contact with any other meals in the kitchen.”

Several parents recommended Foodallergy.org, run by the FARE organization, as a good resource. It includes a link to the Fox Valley Food Allergy Support Group.

Another good website is AllergyEats.com, said Leslie Dybel, mom to a peanut-allergic teen. It’s a database of restaurants rated by the food allergy community.

“It is a fantastic resource for those with food allergies who want to eat out; I use it all the time, even when traveling,” she said.